Blood pressure measurement

Abstract

Blood pressure measurement is the basis for the diagnosis, management, treatment, epidemiology and research of hypertension and the decisions affecting these aspects of hypertension will be influenced by the accuracy of measurement. Although blood pressure measurement is one of the most common clinical techniques, there are some factors affecting it, such as blood pressure variability or blood pressure measuring devices. Blood pressure can be measured in different ways: Clinic blood pressure measurement is taken in physician's office. The accurate measurement of blood pressure in clinical practice is dependent on the individual, the equipment used and the observer; this is the most common when considering therapeutic decisions. Self blood pressure measurement provides us with values on different days, in settings as close to daily life conditions as possible, having no white-coat effect. Ambulatory blood pressure measurement. With this method, using devices that permit the automatic monitoring of blood pressure in a patients normal life, health professionals are able to have blood pressure values over 24 hours, as well as the possibility of average blood pressure values over a requested period, such as the day or the night.